January 11, 2010 11:26

MIA to return with 'no gimmicks' on new album

Maya Arulpragasam tells NME.COM she is preparing for early spring release for third album

Photo Gallery: MIA
Photo: Tim Cochrane

MIA says she expects her third album to be released as early as this early spring, she has told NME.COM.

The singer, real name Maya Arulpragasam, explained that has now finished recording the as-yet-untitled follow-up to 2008's 'Kala', describing it as "really odd" and "more musical" than her previous efforts.

"I wanted it to be like, no gimmicks," she declared. "It’s my third album and I have to kind of confront whether I am a musician or not… I wanted to make something that you could play that isn’t like trendy just for three months, or the length of a DJ’s attention span."

MIA added that she worked on the album with DJ Blaqstarr, as well as longtime collaborators Diplo and Switch.

To read the full interview with MIA, make sure you pick up a copy of NME's Albums Of 2010 issue, which hits newsstands across the UK on Wednesday (January 13).

The special issue features exclusive in-the-studio interviews with the likes of Radiohead, MGMT, The Ting Tings, LCD Soundsystem, Vampire Weekend, Klaxons, Babyshambles and many more of this year's essential albums.